Collapsible box with end wall latches



Feb. 25, 1936. A. L. WHITON COLLAPSIBLE BOX WITH END WALL LATCHES Filed April 8, 1955 VIII/III/I/I/IIIII/I//l//Il//III/II/ Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITE D STATES COLLAPSIBLE. BOX WITH END WALL LATCHE Arthur L. Whiton, Evanston, Ill., assignor to Chicago Mill and Lumber Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application April 8, 1935, Serial No. 15,171

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a collapsible box or a. Wire bound crate, the ends of whichl are closed by means of end Walls or panels havingr spring latching membersV secured thereto for releasable engagement through slotted cleats secured tov opporsite Walls of the main body portion of the box, said slotted cleats being provided with inclined grooves or kerfs inV which the hook shaped endsv ofthe spring latches are adapted to be lockingly engaged to hold the end Walls secured in place.

It is an object of this invention to provide a collapsible box or crate wherein the end panels or Walls are'provided with spring latching members for engagement through grooved cleats forming parts of the end frames of the box.

Another object of the invention is to provide a knock-down box or crateof the wire bound type, wherein the ends of the crate are adapted to be closed by end panels having spring latching means for resiliently locking the end walls in place.

y It is also an object of this invention to provide a knockdown box wherein the end panels have metal latch hooks secured thereto for engagement lthrough the side Wall cleats of the box to snap into latching grooves or kerfs to securely hold the end Vwalls in closed position within the body of the collapsible box.

It is furthermore' an object of this invention to provide spring latching members for the end Walls of a knock-down crate to facilitate rapid andeiricient Vsecuring of the end panels ofV a' knock-down box in position to close the ends of a box body.

It is ani important object of this invention. to provide a collapsible crate or knock-down box with end closure panels having metal latching hooks secured thereto for engagement through grooved cleats forming a part ofthe body of the Other and further important objects of this. invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying'draw'- 111g.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafterA more fully described.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 isa perspective view of a knock-down box having end panels equipped with spring latching means embodying the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on line II-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary verticalr sectional view taken on line III- III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlargedI fragmentaryV sectional View through one corner of the box` taken on line (CL 21T-12) lines and showing the outward path of movement of the end panel in dotted lines With the latch hooks onlyv partly engaged through the cleat grooves.

Figure 5- is an enlarged fragmentary detail sec- 5 tion taken on line V--V of Figure 1, illustrating the latching means. in locking position connected to an end frame cleat and illustrating the end panel in its finalclosed position.

Figure 6 is a. fragmentary sectional View sim- 10."

the box is illlustrated with a closure top or cover 20 the present invention is equally applicable for boxes open at the top.

In the present showing of the invention the' wirebound knock-down box or crate comprises a body portionconstructed of a top or cover 25` panel' I, arear or sideA panel 2, a bottom or floor panel 3, and a front or side panel 4.

The four panels or Walls I to ll are constructed of Wood or other suitable material and are connectedin the form of awire bound mat by means 30 of binding Wires 5 attached transversely across the exterior surfaces of the panels by means of staples 6 or thevlike.

Secured transversely across the inner surface of thel end margins of the top or cover panel 35 l are end cleats 'l provided with beveled ends. The rear orside wall 2 is provided with transversely disposed cleats 8 which are secured transversely across the endv margins of the panel 2. The'vends of the-cleats 8 are cut to provide beveled 40 end surfaces; The bottom or floor panel 3 has end cleats 9 secured transversely across the inner surfaces of theend margins thereof, and the ends ofv said cleats 9 are alsocut to provide beveled end surfaces. Secured transversely across the in- 45 ner surface of the end margins of the front or side-panels 4 are cleats I0, the ends of which are beveled. When the box is in its assembled form the end cleats 1, 8, 9 and I0 are positioned with thebeveledends thereof abutting against one an- 50 other toform end frames for the box. As illustrated in Figure 1 the ends of the binding wires 5 are bent over to provide locking loops l l adapted to beinterlocked to hold the cover l in a closed position. 55

Each of the front and back or side wall cleats 8 and. HJ isV provided with a transverse slot or passage: I2 insubstantially the middle portion of the: outer side: wall. thereof; The outer sides of the slots IZ are closed by the respective back wall 60 'lor ribs I4 to securely hold 2 and the front wall 4. The front ends of the slots I2 vcommunicate withdiagonal kerfs yor grooves I3 which are provided lin the outer margins of the| front surfaces of the cleats 8 and II)y and form tapered latching beads or ribs I4, as. t

" 'tion with the removed end walls ready to be piled '.thereon.

'Figure 6 of the drawing illustrates a frag- .mentaryportion of a modified form of a collapsiyble box wherein end panels or walls 2| are provided with a metal strip or band 22 which is laid clearly illustrated in Figure 4.

Each end of the body portion'of thefibox-lzdrf crate is adapted to be closed by means of an end panel or end wall I5. Secured acrossthe outer surface of each end margin lofA each of the end walls I5 is a transverse reinforcing strip orl board I6 held in place by means ofstaples o r v other suitable fastening devices. The' reinforcing strips I6 are constructed of woodor other, suitable materiall andl are offsetfrom the ends ofthe end walls adis'tance equal substantially that of the depth of the-grooves I2. Secured in taining f lange liwhich'seats tightly against the inner llongitudinal edge 'of the reinforcing stripv I6. Normally the outer end of each of the metal latching straps I1 projects outwardly parallel to the plane of the end wall to facilitate stacking of the end walls when the box is in knock-down 0i" 'l collapsed position. When the end Walls are to be engaged in position, the outer'end 'of each of the latching straps I1 is bent outwardly at substantially right angles to form a spring latch I9, the outer en-d of which is deflected 'inwardlyan'd downwardly to conform a locking hook flange 20.V

To close an end of the bodyportion olf-thei box, an end wall I 5 is engaged transversely within thebody of the box andis' then pushed outwardly from the full line position of rFigure 4 tospring latch members I9 move through the slots I2 the Vhook portions`20 act to deflect the spring -latch members outwardly vso that when the wally reaches its outermost position with the'reinforcing strip IB in contact with the inner'surfaces of the cleats 8 and I0, the hook latching flanges! 20 snap or spring inwardly over the locking beads in position.

Figure 1 to hold the form. Y

With applicants improved' collapsibleor knockdown bo-x the wire bound mat consisting of'the top, bottom and side walls connected`bymeans of the binding wires Ymay be quickly bent intoposition to form the main portion of the body of the box after which the end panels or walls I5' are moved into position to' allow the springlatch- '-ing Ymembers Ill-20 to engage through the side wall cleats 8 and Illto permit the hooked' latching flanges 20 to snap into position over the latching beads or ribs I4,N thereby completing the formation of the box. The box may now be'lled and the cover or top closed and locked by means of the intertting of the looped wires VI I. In' case it is desired,'the box after being used may be knocked down by first opening the top and then releasing the spring latch members I9f-20 `from` the end wall locked? engagement with the inclined surfaces of the latching beads I4, thereby allowing the end walls to be moved inwardly and out of the body portion of the boxv after which the wire bound mat may bestraightened out or folded in collapsed posiacross the middle portion of the inner face of the wall. Transverse wooden strips or slats 23 are secured across the end margins of the inner face of the end wall 2I by` means of staples or other suitable fastening devices. The wooden strips 23 serve to hold the metal strip 22 in posi-- tion.v The ends of thev metal strip 22 project beyond the ends of the end wall 2i and are'bent` outwardly at substantially right angles to form resilient latching members 24, the outer ends of which are bent inwardly at a slant to provide hooked latching anges 25. The spring latching members 24--25 are adapted to be projected through the slots I2 of the side wall cleats to releasably hold the end walls 2I in position to close the open ends of the box body.

It will of course be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is therefore not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A collapsible box including in combinationa bodyincluding endv frame cleats having slots andv grooves therein', a pair of'end walls, and hookedmetal strap springs projecting from the end walls into said slots so as notto project beyond the ends of the box to lockingly engage inthe cleat 'grooves to hold the end wallsv locked in place.

2. A collapsible box comprising a wire bound mat including wall sections Yhaving cleats secured thereto, said cleats having slots therein, locking beads formed on the cleats, end walls, and

hooked spring latch members on the end walls engaged in the slots and hooked over the locking beads within' the ends Iof the box to hold the end walls in place.

3.A collapsible box comprising a body including side walls, cleats secured across the ends of the side walls and having transverse slots and inclined longitudinal grooves therein, a pair of end walls, latch means on the end walls for projection part way through said slots to spring into locking engagement in said grooves to hold the end walls locked in position to close the ends of said body, said'latch means having the outer ends thereof seated in said grooves so as not to project beyond the ends of the box.

4. A collapsible box including in combination a'body section having cleats secured thereto'to form end frames, each of said end frames havingtwo opposite cleats thereof provided with a transverse slot in one surface thereof and a longitudinal inclined groove in an adjacent surface, a pair of end walls, and hook-shaped spring latching means secured to each of the end walls and projectable through the cleat slots to lockinglyfhook into the inclined cleat grooves to secure the end walls in place.

f ARTHUR L. WHITON. 

